Artificial tooth



V Dec. 31, 1935.

'c. c. REEVES ARTIFICIAL TOOTH Filed July 8, 1935 f I NvENToR S fi w 1 /7a Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFIC ARTIFICIAL TOOTH company Application July 8, 1933, Serial No. 679,509

In Great Britain July 15, 1932 1 Claim. '(Cl. 329) This invention relates to artificial teeth and has for its primary object to provide new or improved anchoring means whereby an exceptionally strong and firm holding or gripping efiect of the tooth to a denture may be obtained.

According to my invention, I provide in combination with an artificial tooth, and for use in the attachment of said tooth to a denture, two upwardly-inclined closed anchoring loops projecting-preferably in lateral or substantially lateral alignment-from the back of the tooth and created by appropriate bending or shaping of a single piece or two separate pieces of wire,

such loops extending between and being positioned or engaged in a common transverse passage or aligned sockets in the tooth body and a common socket or separate sockets also formed in the tooth body and located nearer to the ridge lap than said transverse passage or sockets.

According to one mode of carrying out my invention, a single piece of wire extends through a transverse passage in the tooth body and is bent to create two closed anchoring loops which project from the tooth back and the ends whereof are positioned in a coimnon socket or a pair of sockets formed in the rear wall of the tooth body and located nearer to the ridge lap than said transverse passage; each individual loop structure being created by the upwardly inclined portion of the wire disposed between the adjacent opening of said body passage and said common socket or the adjacent socket.

I will further describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings, which illustrate, by way of examples only, two convenient modes of embodiment.

In said drawing:-

Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations taken at right angles to each other, and Fig. 3 is a perspective View, of an anterior artificial tooth incorporating my improvements. Figs. 4 to 6, inclusive, are similar views of a posterior artificial tooth provided with the novel anchoring means.

In the several views like characters of reference denote like or equivalent parts wherever they occur.

a generally represents an artificial tooth formed with a transverse passage b and also provided with an inclined socket c in its rear wall 12, such socket being located nearer to the ridge lap 1 than said transverse passage 2).

For the purpose of anchoring said tooth body a to a denture there is provided a piece of wire fsay stainless steel wirewhich is passed through said transverse passage 12 of the tooth body and then bent 'to create a pair of laterally aligned closed loops g which project from the back of the tooth and the ends it whereof are positioned in said common socket c and preferably secured therein by cement or a like composition which conveniently fills up the socket to the level of the rear wall 02 of the tooth body: each individual loop structure 9 is thus created by the upwardly inclined portion of the wire .1 disposed between the adjacent lateral opening a of the body passage b and said common socket c, and the upwardly inclined wire loop is, in effect, securely attached at both of its ends to the tooth body. The common socket 0 also conveniently extends into the tooth body at an inclination corresponding with that of the exposed looped portions g of the wire anchor.

By constructing a tooth body in the manner indicated in the drawing and applying thereto a Wire anchor as just described, it will be apparent that efiicient holding effect on a denture is attained with a relative small anchor which-due to its shape and angularityprovides an attachment capable of withstanding biting stresses without tendency to tear away from or otherwise damage the denture, and which may be amply embedded in the denture yet permits the employment of a denture of such shape or configuration as to ensure ample tongue room. Moreover, the wire anchor is not apt to become exposed or bared in course of time, and there is little or no likelihoodeven with narrow denturesof the wire being exposed in the teeth interstices.

In the rear portion of the anterior tooth there are also formed side grooves or recesses k which extend from the ridge lap l to the shoulder of the cingulum m of the tooth body and are adapted to co-operate with said anchoring loops 9 to provide efiicient holding or looking effect on a denture and also permit the use of relatively short loop connectors g. In the particular example illustrated, each side groove or recess is of the tooth body is bordered by substantially vertical walls 11., n and a further wall 11. extending beneath and substantially in the same plane as the inclined loop portion 9 of the wire anchor: other grooves 0 formed in said bordering Walls n, and extending from the base of the side grooves k to the rear Wall 11 of the tooth in the same plane as and in horizontal alignment with the inclined socket c, are also provided to enhance the holding efiect to the tooth on the denture. V

In the posterior tooth only inclined side grooves o are provided, the recesses 7c being omitted.

It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction as hereinbefore described as various alterations or modifications may obviously be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claim. For example it will be apparent that the pair of laterally aligned and upwardly inclined loops g maybe con-' structed by appropriate benlding or shaping of a single piece of wire, or two separate pieces of wire, extending between and positioned or engaged in the transverse passage h, or a pair of laterally aligned sockets formed in the tooth body in substitution for said passage h, and the socket c, or a pair of separate sockets formed in the tooth body in substitution for said common socket c. If the loops be constructed from a single piece of wire, the wire ends may be inserted into the transverse passage h or the equivalent sockets, in which case the inner legs of the loops will project into and be integrally connected together within the common socket c.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

An artificial tooth and means for attaching same to a denture, said means comprising two upwardly inclined closed anchoring loops of wire arranged side-by-side at the rear part of the tooth and having short inner leg portions anchored at their lower ends in the tooth body in a socket inclined similarly to the loops and opening to the back of the tooth, and longer outer leg portions anchored at their lower ends in the tooth body in a passage extending transversely of the tooth below and substantially in a plane with said inclined'socket and opening to the sides of the tooth body, and said tooth and loop device being so constructed as to obviate projection of the loops laterally beyond the tooth body.

- CHARLES CLIFFORD REEVES. 

